


Night drive and daydream

by Keiko Kirin (sakana17)



Category: Dong Bang Shin Ki
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-16
Updated: 2008-11-16
Packaged: 2017-10-02 23:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakana17/pseuds/Keiko%20Kirin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to spend the night here," Jaejoong mused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night drive and daydream

Jaejoong couldn't remember now whose idea it had been. Possibly it had been his, in which case he would accept the consequences. On the other hand, if it had been his idea, no way Changmin would've stayed quiet about it this long, so, Jaejoong decided, already feeling better, it couldn't have been.

He left the others and walked across the empty road, climbed over the guardrail and through the tall grass, toward the sound of the sea. The further from the road he got, the darker it became, but the moon glowed behind clouds.

The grasses thinned, and the ground underneath changed. Cold salty air snapped at him, bringing with it the quiet roar of waves. Jaejoong loved the sound and the sensation, but being so close to the sea also set him on edge, calling up deep fears. He hung back, turning away from the wind and hunching over to light a cigarette.

He smoked it down to the end, expecting one of the others to come crunching through the grass at any moment. He thought he heard his name carried by the wind, and turned around but saw nothing. Suddenly the emptiness, the dark, and the restless sea seemed malevolent -- maybe he'd been watching too many Japanese horror movies. He stubbed the cigarette butt out with his boot and walked back to the car.

Yunho was leaning against the front passenger door and watching Jaejoong emerge from the other side of the road. Yoochun and Changmin were still looking at the map, Changmin holding the flashlight.

"I know where we are," Jaejoong said as he joined Yunho. "We're in Chiba-ken." He grinned at Yunho, and Yunho grinned back.

Changmin said with a heavy, annoyed sigh, "Jaejoong-hyung..." But left it at that.

Jaejoong climbed into the back seat, where Junsu sat huddled against the window, coat collar pulled up to his chin. His eyes were closed, and Jaejoong thought he'd fallen asleep until Junsu asked without moving, "Have they figured out where we are yet?"

Jaejoong scooted close to Junsu and put his arm around him. Junsu shifted to huddle against Jaejoong. "Wherever we are," Jaejoong said, "it's close to the sea. I was down on the beach. It's only a few minutes' walk from the road."

Junsu nodded. "You smell like the beach."

Holding Junsu, Jaejoong closed his eyes and thought it would be nice to fall asleep this way and wake up in Tokyo, in the parking garage of their building. But he didn't fall asleep, and opened his eyes when the door opened and Yunho climbed in and squeezed into the back seat with them. He draped his arm across the back seat to get as comfortable as possible, and Jaejoong leaned against his shoulder.

"I said we should call the staff, but I was vetoed," Yunho said. "Yoochun thinks he's figured it out."

"I don't understand why the GPS isn't working," Junsu said, still huddled against Jaejoong with his eyes closed.

"It is," said Yunho. "But the street names in the GPS stopped matching the signs about 10 kilometers back."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to spend the night here," Jaejoong mused. "We could go down to the beach and sleep with the sound of the waves. Watch the sunrise in the morning. Rising sun," he said with a smile. "The sea should be east, right?"

Yunho squeezed Jaejoong's shoulder, but Junsu complained, "Too cold."

"We'll keep each other warm." Jaejoong rubbed Junsu's arm. He could imagine it: sitting on the sand, just the five of them, tasting salt in the air and talking, laughing, singing as the sky lightened. The kind of experience they hadn't been able to share for a very long time. The kind of experience, truthfully, they had never shared alone, with no one else.

Yunho took Jaejoong's hand in his and held it loosely. "I like that idea," he said.

"It'll be easier to find the way back when it's light," Jaejoong pointed out.

But neither he nor Yunho moved, and Jaejoong told himself it was because this was comfortable, too, and not because his idea of sleeping on the beach was unrealistic. He was well aware that if they were to return to Tokyo in time to sneak back before they were missed at morning wake-up, they'd have to leave much earlier than dawn, but that was a cold, rational fact, and it seemed distant and unimportant right now.

Daydreaming about sunrise on the beach, he dozed without realizing it until the front doors slamming shut woke him. Yoochun looked into the back seat, paused, and said quietly, "We got it now. It'll be really easy to get back to the main road."

Jaejoong nodded. Junsu and Yunho had fallen asleep, heavier sleepers than he was, and both were leaning against him. He held them as Yoochun started the car and turned it around to head home.

The daydream of the sea faded the closer they got to Tokyo: more lights, more signs, more traffic. If Jaejoong closed his eyes and concentrated, he could remember the sound of the waves and now, surrounded by Yunho and Junsu, the slight terror at being so close to the sea felt like a delicious thrill. In the front seat, Changmin and Yoochun were talking, sometimes serious, sometimes joking, but always quietly, and Jaejoong could only catch a few random words. This was dreamlike, too, and he pretended that they didn't have a destination in mind: that they could drive like this until they found a deserted spot to watch the dawn.

Jaejoong closed his eyes but didn't sleep. He felt every turn and change in speed as they approached and entered the city. Yunho woke up at a stoplight two streets from their building. He didn't move or speak, but subtly tightened his hold on Jaejoong's hand. Junsu didn't wake until they were in the garage and the glare of lights flooded the car.

They parked, and everyone climbed out, stretching, yawning. Changmin looked half-asleep walking, and Junsu rested a hand on his back to steer him gently toward the lift. Yoochun and Yunho both checked their watches, and Yunho said, "Plenty of time. Thank you for getting us home, Yoochun."

Yunho was smiling as he said it, but as soon as Yoochun had returned the smile, shaking his head, and followed Changmin and Junsu, Yunho looked at Jaejoong, and his smile softened to something wistful.

"Next time," Jaejoong stated with determination. "Maybe when it's warmer. And when we don't have such an early start the next day. We can leave earlier, head straight for the beach. We'll bring some blankets. Beer. Something to eat. But next time, definitely."

Yunho gazed at him, his smile returning. He slung his arm across Jaejoong's shoulders and walked with him to the lift. "Yeah. Next time."

(the end)


End file.
